Cream Puffs Anyone?

The Avs are really a bunch of cream puffs.  As I go through the lines it is rather jarring (reverse pun intended) how soft they are. 

Duchene-Stastny-Hejduk is as soft and snuggly as a Reese Witherspoon Rom-Com on a Valentine’s Day date.  Call them the softie line.  As hockey players that shoot, pass, deke, etcetera they are doing better than just okay.  Hejduk has magic hands, Stats is solid and reliable and Dutchy is fantastically creative.  But mean and gritty?

Jones-Olver-Mueller was a recent line.  Jones has long been excepted to go to the net but doesn’t seem to have the personality to do it on a regular basis.  Mueller is reputed to be a floater and Olver is just small.  That said, Jones has raw talent that clearly works at times even if he is streaky.  Mueller has a ton of talent if he can just stay healthy.  But none of these guys are going to knock an opponent to the ice hard enough to make an impression.

Individually there are guys that need a look too.  O’Reilly being the most important.  He is having a killer season and no doubt part of that is due to his steady maturation and insane work ethic.  But I think playing with Landeskog has a lot to do with it as well.  Landy makes space on the ice for O’Reilly to work.  Landy leads this team in hits and most of them are good, solid hits.  O’Reilly, despite all his gifts as a player is still a cream puff.  I can’t possibly count how many times O’Reilly has had a chance to lay a lick on an opponent and he pulls up.  His “finish your checks” hits are half-hearted and weak.  It’s the only criticism of his game I can conceivably level at him. 

None of this is meant to say that these guys aren’t what the Avs need on the ice.  Nor am I saying they aren’t tough, they take punishment and keep on playing.  They are talented but lack the latent chip on their shoulder that not only has a place in this game but is a necessary component of success for most teams.

I believe that the management of the Avs have seen that this component has been missing ever since Chris Stewart was traded away.  Perhaps it was thought that TJ Galiardi was going to fill that roll.  He was certainly given plenty of time and opportunity to do so but it just didn’t seem to gel. 

The challenge with the Stewart-type of players is that they are pretty good at too many aspects of the game for their own good.  They are just good enough with the puck that one coach/team wants them to focus on that and let the physical nature of the game take care of itself.  The next coach/team wants it the other way around.  These guys that can skate well, move the puck well, score and have a mean streak aren’t a dime-a-dozen.  They often have trouble fitting in to the lineup and yet their value can’t be denied.

With the acquisition of Downie and McGinn the Avs appear to be back on track.  The team has a big defense, upgraded goaltending and now a little more grit to go with the talent up front.  This just may be the pieces the Avs have been missing that can get them back to the playoffs.

Here's a nice cream puff recipe for ya, remember, serve with a bit of attitude and everything will be fine.

Ingredients

• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
•  
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs

Directions

1. Mix together vanilla instant pudding mix, cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate to set.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
3. In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour and salt until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or stand mixer, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Centers should be dry.
5. When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the pudding mixture, or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding into the shells.

Next Colorado Avalanche Captain

by J. Scott Moore

I’ve made my case for Matt Duchene being the next Avs captain, here. That was a somewhat tongue-in-cheek piece about that Avs plotting his ascension to the captaincy. But I am serious about this; make him captain.

A lot of people think Milan Hejduk or Paul Stastny or John-Michael Liles should/could or would be a better/more suitable choice. I think a lot of this is simply based of seniority in these people’s eyes. They don’t necessarily know that is how they are making their choice. But I think a lot of people do it and then will rationalize their way to the end point.

The time to challenge Matt Duchene as a leader is now. This team isn’t ready to go all the way, we know that. Duchene knows that, everyone knows it. What it does, is give him time to grow into the role so that when this young team does need that leader, he isn’t green. Wait till the team needs quality leadership to tip it over the edge into greatness and you’ve waited too long.

Paul Stastny and Milan Hejduk are cut from the same the cloth. The aw-shucks, good guy that works hard and produces on a consistent level. But Matt Duchene is a driven individual on a different level. He wants to lead. Not that Hejduk or Stastny would turn it down; I think they would be honored and go all out. But Duchene is the guy that lies in bed at night and thinks about how to be this team’s captain. Really wants the opportunity.

I think Liles is the most well suited veteran for the job. But I’m not sure the coach is on board the Liles-train. Seems to be some doubt there and he’s always trade-bait. That just isn’t the best situation for a captain.

So what are the Avs waiting for? Adam Foote was named captain a week or two before training camp. This team isn’t likely to change much between now and then. Certainly not in a manner that would shift the candidates for captain.

Do it now. Let it marinate on the fans during the off-season. Let Matt Duchene get comfortable with it over the summer. You want Duchene to elevate his game? Give him responsibility and I think you will see it happen.

 

Clearing the Way for Captain Matt Duchene

Shortly after the Avs made the Chris Stewart for Erik Johnson trade, Avs GM Greg Sherman was on NHL radio to talk about it. One of the things he said that stood out the most to Avs fans was that the Avs were on track with the plan. Plan? Plan to lose as many games as possible and allow 3 or more goals in every one of them as a bonus? That plan? No plan seems particularly apparent to fans or experts.

Here’s my theory on the plan. Yes, the team wants to stay young. They are happy to keep things on the cheap for now but to be fair they did offer Craig Anderson a nice contract that he walked away from. And they want to get back to a team that has an identity. It’s old news that Sakic, Roy and Forsberg are not going too save this team on the ice or at the box office.

Those parts of the Plan are readily apparent. Quietly playing out over time are the efforts of the management to lay a solid foundation for Matt Duchene. And I believe that part of that is nurturing the best environment for Matt Duchene to become the captain of this team.

Matt Duchene is slated to be the face of this franchise and it’s all been in motion for years. Duchene has been billeted with current captain Adam Foote since day one. Think that was a happy coincidence? I doubt it. He’s being groomed. Foote has strong leadership skills and Duchene is expected to soak up a lot of this directly from the source.

Need more evidence? Matt Duchene is on Twitter. Not only is that unprecedented for this organization, it’s completely out of character. No one else on this team has been granted that kind of access to social media. We will have to see what happens to Erik Johnson’s account now that he is an Avalanche.

The Avalanche’s “All About the A” ad campaign has featured Duchene prominently.

Do trades figure into this scenario? I think so; the trade of Scott Hannan was two-fold. The Avs certainly thought they were getting a quality player in Tomas Fleischmann but it also set up another scenario. Next year Adam Foote is expected to retire and that would leave Hannan in a clear position of leadership on this team. A position that would be somewhat difficult for a 20 year old to tackle, even one of Duchene’s drive and determination. Don’t see Hannan as a leader? How about that situation in Washington where it was said that Hannan took the lead in a team meeting only weeks after getting there? If he’s got the stones to pull that on a new team imagine the role he would feel needed filling in the Avs locker room with the departure of Foote. That kind of situation could derail the plans the Avs have for Matt Duchene.

Liles is another potential leader that could upset the apple cart. Could be one of the reasons he was again in play on the trade market. And if Liles hasn’t got the message yet that he is expendable then there is always draft day to take care of that situation for good. I’m not endorsing such a move; I think that Avs are much better off with Erik Johnson AND John-Michael Liles on the blueline. But the team may not see it the same way if it threatens Duchene’s ascent to Captain. Erik Johnson now gives them more options in parting with Liles. I think Liles can and does still provide important leadership on this team but he also has to accept The Plan and his place in the scheme of things.

And what about Stastny? It’s just possible that he is passive enough about leadership that he will not be a factor. He strikes me as a guy that is motivated to play hard and win but is more than happy to let others do the rah-rah stuff. Same situation with Milan Hejduk.

All of this is about chemistry. The Avs, like any team has to monitor the chemistry on the ice as well as in the locker room. If they think they have the leader of the future on their hands then they have to take steps to ensure that his position is secure. It’s not unusual for teams to trade away players to start a new chapter and set the stage for the locker room chemistry of the new era. The Avs know this but don’t expect them to come right out and say it. It just isn’t polite dinner table conversation.

-From the Point

Game 4 - Avalanche VS Sharks

               I had the opportunity to go the Game 4 last night.  Although I didn’t have the best seats in the house, didn’t matter, the place was packed and there was a lot of energy.  I hadn’t seen that place that packed since Joe Sakic retirement night.

                Overall, I thought the Avs played a pretty good game, a lot better than they did in Game 3.  They didn’t get out shot like last game which to me was a big thing.  When you only get 17 shots and you let the other team get over 50 shots, you’re just making winning the hockey game a whole lot harder.  And those 50 shots were the only the ones that actually made it to Anderson, the Sharks had over 30 shots blocked.

But, I do have a few negative things to say about the game.  Sacco decided to sit Wilson and put Salei instead.  I can’t say that I totally agree with that when Clark was available.  I’m not saying Salei played a bad game but when you have a team shooting like crazy at your goalie, you might considerer putting the guy that blocks a lot of shots ….and that’s Clark.

                Another thing I noticed was that the Avs seemed kind of slow compared to the Sharks.  The Avs are the younger team that and they’re supposed to have lots of speed.  What happened?!?!?  I thought Yip looked the slowest of all, maybe that was just me but every time he touched the puck, it seemed that he had Sharks players on him pretty quick.

                And Svatos, I don’t even know what to say.  I know he probably tries hard when he’s on the ice but I’m sorry, you’re no Hejduk.  I saw him make a bunch of mistakes which was hard to watch since he’s out there with someone as talented as Duchene.  To me, that second line of Duchene, Svatos and Yip just didn’t have any chemistry.  That’s where I think not having Hejduk/Duchene/Mueller really hurts.

                I wrote a post before the series started and mentioned that the Avs had a good chance of winning…..if the got/stayed healthy.  Mission failed!!!  Losing Hejduk is HUGE.  Now both Hejduk and Mueller aren’t making the trip to San Jose, two key pieces that the Avs could have used right about now.

                One thing that I do want to mention was the play of Darcy Tucker.  I thought he looked like his old self.  Let’s be honest, he doesn’t have the scoring touch from his Maple Leafs days ( he does actually have a few 20+ goal seasons)  but his intensity last night was awesome.  Tucker is not a big guy by any means but he’s out there hitting these bigger Sharks players.   Way to go Tucker!  Of course, Anderson looked good too.  And I have to say, when the starting line up was announced, when they said Anderson’s name, the crowd went nuts; they love him at the Pepsi Center.  He’s our number 1 goalie for sure!

                Game 5 tomorrow.  Let’s hope they can pull this together and come back here for the win.

-Frenchy

NHL Playoffs!!!

                The NHL playoffs start tonight and this is what the teams have been playing for all season long.  Nothing else matters now, it’s all about getting to the next round and finally get a crack at the Lord Stanley.  One thing I always want to see every year is a 8^th seed team knocking off a number 1 seed team.  Now, do I think that the Canadians can actually win against the Capitals….no.  Do I think that the Avs can actually win against the Sharks…yes!

                The Avs have almost no pressure in these series.  They are not expected to win and they shouldn’t win.  Maybe this is the perfect situation for them.  They can go in there and play with ease and play the game they want.  All the pressure is on the Sharks.  Let’s not forget that the Sharks don’t have the best playoff streak going.  They haven’t gotten past the second round in over 4 years even though they were one of the top teams in the West every year.  If you ask me, the Sharks have one good line and that accounts for almost 40% of their goals.  If the Avs can contain that line, they’re going to do just fine.  Also, they split the series this season with the Sharks 2-2.

                Now, I’m saying they can win if, and only if, the players get and stay healthy.  Matt Duchene said he’s going to play tonight, I hope that if he’s not 100%, that he’s pretty close.  They really need his scoring touch, Stewart and Hedjuk can’t score all the goals.  He had really good chemistry with Hedjuk and Mueller so hopefully thing will stay the same.  Speaking of Mueller, he has been a more than welcomed surprise since joining the team. He’s been great on the power play with Liles so losing him is huge at this point.  When you talk about an injury like a concussion, it’s always a bit tricky.  He didn’t make the trip to San Jose which already has me worried a little bit but I really hope that he'll make an appearance when they come back to play in Denver.  David Jones has been skating, it would be good if he could play and contribute but over 5 months off the ice is a long time.  I hope Sacco knows exactly when to use him. As for the top line, they need to keep playing the way they have been, no excuses.  At last of all, Anderson needs to bring his A game.  We need the Anderson that showed up at the start of the season.  

                The Avs have a chance to reach the second round; I’m just hoping they make it happen.  For a team that every body had finishing dead last in the West, getting to the second round would be quite the accomplishment.

-Frenchy.

Avs New Years Resolutions

Did you see Attitude doing those lame locker room interviews before the Wings game? Asking the guys what their New Year’s resolutions are? I mean, you gotta have some connections, like me, to get straight answers outa these guys. So I sat down for a beer with each and every one of the guys, all in one night, so I might not remember all this correctly, but here we go;

Stats said he is gonna give up the wooden twig – the highest paid guy on the team is playing with the cheapest stick. So maybe Dad’s advice isn’t always gospel.

Svats said he is gonna fight more often, if he ever gets back in a game.

Budaj resolves to play no more games for the Avs this season, thereby making him the highest paid player-per-game for the Avs.

David Koci gave Boods a look on that and said, Whatever, I’ll still be the highest paid player-per-minute! Koci’s reso is to find time to read more books.

Milan Hejduk: I recall he told the Altitude crew last year that he didn’t think he had any personal improvements to make, therefore no resolutions! That’s some funny stuff Milan. Ok, I agree, you have been one of the most consistently producing Avs for a long time, don’t change! I really have no idea what he told me, I was pretty drunk by then and he is pretty tough to understand sober!

WW said he is going to live up to your expectations no matter how unreasonable they are!  And he reminded me that he dated her,  so how is that for a start?

Liles said he is going to stop growing that pathetic looking beard until the Avs make the playoffs.

Dater is going to give the attendance issues a break till next season, wait, how did that get in here???

David Jones said he is gonna stop getting hurt so much…then promptly slipped in my vomit. If it wasn’t for bad luck, he wouldn’t have any luck at all.

McLeod said he is gonna throw more octopi, more punches and more pucks at the net.

Andy said he is gonna be the #1 star at home more often so he can give those great interviews that the crowd loves.

Stewie said he is going to get more Gordie Howe hat tricks Trivia, how many Gordie Howe Hat Tricks did Gordie have? Leave a comment with your answer!

-From the Point

Colorado Avalanche at the halfway mark in division

The Colorado Avalanche wrapped up the back-to-back against the Minnesota Wild this weekend in poor fashion. Limping away with a mere one point, the Avs aren’t the only ones limping. David Jones, second on the team in goals is effectively done for the season with a torn ACL. The winger has been struggling with injuries since the Avs tapped him to be Andrew Brunette’s replacement in 2008.
Off to a great start this season, Avs fans have been hoping that Jones would finally pan out to be the power forward that the team is in desperate need of , especially after trading away Ryan Smyth over the summer.
The back-to-back with Minnesota wasn’t really any different that the rest of the month of November for the Avalanche. Let me list the ways;

...please go the HockeyIndepenedent.com the read the rest of this post.

Avalanche Have Great 2nd Period Against Nashville

The Colorado Avalanche got a point tonight in another up & down game. With the Nashville Predators in town for a pre-Thanksgiving game, the Avs decided to take the first period to work on tomorrow’s menu.

Just 3 minutes into the period the Preds were on the power play and made good on it for the 6th game in a row. Mere minutes later the Preds put a second one in the net and coach Joe Sacco decided he needed to calm down his boys and took a time out.

The second started off better for the Avs as Milan Hejduk fed the puck to Ryan Wilson who skated in and wristed it home at 3:39. Just past the halfway mark with the Avs on a 4 minute PP, David Jones made a fantastic cross-ice pass to Milan Hejduk to tie the game. Minutes later Chris Stewart took all the Preds with him on the wing leaving Marek Svatos wide open. Stewart made a perfect pass and Svatos sent it home. But the Avs couldn’t hold the lead, even for the period, and Shea Weber sent a slap shot by Craig Anderson at 18:07.

...to read the rest of this post please go to HockeyIndependent.com

Avs Hit the Road...Road hits Back

So much for going 82-0. Of course we knew that wasn’t going to happen, right? Riiight? There has been a lot of Avalanche Kool-aid drinking after those first two games. The Colorado Avalanche has the honor of being the visiting team for two club’s opening nights in a row! Nashville and now Chicago. That can make things tougher than they already are.
And how tough is it to make 35 saves a night? Just ask Craig Anderson. You just can’t expect a guy to make 35 save every freakin’ game. You’ve got to help him out. Tonight we found out that Anderson IS human! Hornqvist completely faked him out but Andy got lucky that the puck hit his skate AND that the refs made a distinct mistake on the no-goal call. Arnott did NOT make a distinct kicking motion, sure, he knew what he was doing, but I didn’t see the kick, did you? That should have been a goal. And I know it’s only three games in but, what’s up with Duchie? Is he starting to grip? He’s getting 2-3 good chances a game, great chances, getting a ton of ice time…this kid needs a goal.
I think Kyle Quincey is looking good and making me look bad, (I said he looked lazy in camp, well he did!!) it’s cool. If he keeps sending great outlet passes up the ice...yeah, it’s cool! The Avs haven’t really had that guy in a long time.
Defense, defense, defense. What’s with Foote giving it away up the middle!?!?!?! At least twice, whew…
McLeod getting more ice time that Wolski, not a good sign.
Stewart was invisible.
O’Reilly looking lost.
Rusty was rusty.
But…
Kyle Cumiskey is so fast and looking better defensively.
Tucker is in the house!
The Duke still has those magic hands. Lookin’ pretty good on the PP.

-From the Point

Photos: AP

First Annual Real Denver Sports Helmet Awards

With the season over for the Avs, I thought we could pass out some awards to some deserving Colorado Avalanche players. Real Denver Sports would like to acknowledge the players of the Colorado Avalanche with the meaningless Helmet Awards.
The categories, strictly made up on the spot, by myself and the staff are:

You Played Your Ass off for a Crappy Team: Ryan Smyth
Ryan Smyth should be the next Captain of this team, hopefully that is a year from now, but anyway...this guy really stepped up when the going got tough. Sorry Paul, I thought this was your team, but I've yet to see this kind of leadership from you.

Bones Like Twigs Award: Paul Stastny
Will someone please deliver this trophy to Paul? I really don't see a need for him to trip...er, walk up these steps to the podium...here just take this down to him...stay where you are Paul.

The Player Most in Need of a Neighborhood Kid-Joe Sakic
Poor Joe, what a crappy season. I want all you kids living around Joe to step up and start doing some chores! For goodness sake, will some one please mow his lawn for him this Summer?

Best Name Award-Cal Clutterbuck
Every year (um, starting this year) we give out this award, it's one of the funnest ones of the evening! Ok, I just wish he was an Avalanche.

Best Hockey Nose-Adam Foote
No argument!

Player Most Likely to be a Car Salesman Next Year-Andrew Raycroft
...is Andrew here...Razor...? Didn't think so.

You don't have to be pretty to play hockey-Ian Lapperriere

But it Doesn't Hurt-John-Michael Liles

Best Call-up Award-Chris Stewart

I guess in this age of Sidney (can't we just call him Sid?) Crosby, I was a little impatient with Stewart. Because the Avs sent him down early in training camp I was worried that he was a bust. He probably just had some normal growing up to do, and I think the Avs probably handled it well. He looks ready to start growing on an NHL team. His defense might need a little work but I like his tenacity. I don't see him ever going back to the minors.

Most durable player-Milan Hejduk
Wow, after that off-season scare due to some Czech newspaper reporting Milan's bum knee giving out at any minute, it's a wonder that the man with the Magic Hands played 82 games. The ONLY Avs player to do so. Milan Hejduk does not get enough credit in this town. This guy has been solid on this team for years, let's hope he sticks around a while longer.

Most pointless call-up-Per Ledin

Best facial hair-Ben Guite
Cue up the porn music!

Worst facial hair-Three way tie, Raycroft, Liles & Tucker
These goofs get this award for growing late season beards. Have you guys looked at the standings lately? Are those golf course beards? Wait, maybe they're "We're out of the playoffs" beards? WTF? Besides, Liles looks like a goof, that beard is Elfish. Shave it!

And our most prestigious award of the night, that is why it is saved for last is the
Most Balanced Player Award- Tyler Arnason
This goes to the guy that most exemplifies the all-around hockey tradition. The guy that does it all! We are proud to present this award to Tyler. With 5 goals and 6 hits*, you can't get more balanced than that!

That's it folks, we are running late, no time for your speech Tyler!!
Your late, local news is next!

Posted by: From the Point

*This stat represents the entire 2008-09 season.